Performing in the Super Bowl half time show was one of those career moments that still feels unreal. In the 1990's I was playing with an awesome swing band called "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy," and at that time we still were an up-and-coming band. We were set to perform along side the one and only Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan. Behind the scenes, it was one part work, one part craziness, and the rest, excitement.
This performance brings the kind of focus that only comes when you realize you’re about to become a part of something very special, The Super Bowl. I have many photos and memorabilia from that event. For this article, I chose a small portion that will hopefully fit nice here.
There are so many moments to talk about when someone has this kind of experience, from finding out you got the gig, to the logistics of doing something on this scale, to just being prepared mentally and professionally. It’s like winning a lottery ticket.
We had always been so lucky and honored with all the fan support, and then landing dream gigs like being signed by Capitol Records, to performing on The Tonight Show, and many others. So when we found out about the Super Bowl, we were blown away, but we knew we could do it.
I’ll try and keep the chatter to a minimum and just highlight the attached pictures, video and audio. There were so many events, parties and wonderful people we met, it is hard to list them all in just one article. I hope this story will be interesting to read, seeing the pictures and video, and hearing the recording. I may add a few more notes and pictures later, as I come across them.
Super Bowl XXXIII Magazine given out on gameday.
The Half Time Show listing.
Arriving on press day for photos, interviews and lots of cool shwag.
Hanging out in the press room.
And yes, signing helmets.
They had several helmets and footballs for us to sign. I could not believe this, but it was a lot of fun. I was told that there is a Football Hall of Fame exhibit that includes every Super Bowl Half Time Show ever performed (I was also told that my signature is in that display, crazy).
Meeting Stevie Wonder.
After the press conference we went to check into the awesome Inter-Continental Hotel, a first class resort. Every event, meal, or function we went to was so fancy, and we were chauffeured everywhere. We had to keep reminding ourselves, oh yeah, we’re the performers, this is what happens at the Super Bowl, too funny.
Inter-Continental Hotel Welcome Pamphlet.
Later we went to the stadium to do a run-through of the half time performance. This was our only rehearsal. It was cool seeing how they kept the field covered and then uncovered for the rehearsal. Also just being on the field was cool. It was wild, we even had a police escort when we went to or left the stadium.
On the football field during rehearsal.
The next day we went to Gloria Estefan’s studio and recorded our song, “Go Daddy O” along with Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke”, his signature song. Before the recording we had a little time to go over the Sir Duke sheet music in the hotel. This arrangement of Sir Duke was written in the key of B, which is not a fun day on trombone.
A little side note: Steve Madaio was a great trumpet player and horn arranger. He played with, and arranged for Stevie on "Songs in The Keys of Life" album, and also did the horn arrangement for Sir Duke. Years before Voodoo Daddy, I got to play with Steve Madaio in Ventura at a record label beach party. He was a great guy. It was so cool, years later, to be recording this same song, Sir Duke with Stevie Wonder Steve Madaio Memorial
While recording at Gloria Estefan’s studio, we took a quick break. I went to their break room, which was a small kitchen style break room. While I was getting a drink, Gloria Estefan came in and said hello. She was so nice and caring. She asked if she could make me a sandwich, to which I said she did not have to, but thank you. We chatted for a bit, she was so nice and genuine. I was having so many “Wayne’s World, I’m not Worthy” moments. This was just another one of those moments.
When we were done recording all our parts, I got to hear Stevie lay down his vocal track to Sir Duke, in real time. It was amazing. I always say, it was like watching Picasso paint a picture. His phrasing and sense of time are amazing.
We were given a cassette of the studio recording, yes this is how music was exchanged by professionals in the 90's.
This is the inside 'Jacket' for the cassette which list most of the important information, tracks, versions etc.
Studio Recording of The Half Time Music
Here is the cassette recording that we did at Gloria Estefan’s studio. I hope you enjoy.
After this, we attended a few pre-game Super Bowl parties at some cool locations like the mansion where Scarface was filmed. There were famous people and a lot of sports legends who attended. For some parties we were the entertainment, and some parties we just got to hang out.
Arriving on game day.
We performed during the ESPN Morning Show.
Live on air.
One funny note, when we arrived at the stadium, they took us to a breakfast area where everyone working the Super Bowl would be eating. While we were eating, before performing on the ESPN morning show, my wife saw Chris Berman and Joe Theismann seated close by in the breakfast area. She immediately got up and went over to chat with them. She said they were so nice to her. As she was chatting with them for awhile, we had to leave and get ready to do the morning show. At some point she said she looked up and saw we were gone, to which she then said goodbye to them and left. She said she got to roam around and go on the side lines during the Bronco's warm up.
It seemed that once you were granted physical access to this VIP only area, no one really checks your lanyard. She said she had a blast being on the field, in the locker room, and meeting some great sports legends.
Hanging Out in The Bronco's Locker Room.
I'm married to John Elway's biggest fan and the Bronco's biggest fan. She is right in front of Elway's locker. (Note: This is Miami Dolphin's locker room. Look how plain things were back then, not like the multi-million dollar locker rooms today.)
Our management wanted us at the stadium all day so they could know where we were at. Kind of a hurry up and wait day. While in the our dressing room all kinds of people popped in. I remember Tony Randall from the Odd Couple TV Show popping in with a camera crew. He was just doing free-style crowd work, making small talk and joking around. It was kind of awkward, but it was part of the gig, as they say.
Being on the field during Bronco's warmup.
Lanyards from the game. We actually went to two Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII. The story on Super Bowl XXXII is for another blog.
Super Bowl XXXIII Lanyard with pins.
Other cool items:
If you are wondering about the signatures on the back of my jacket, well here it is. Years later when I was working as a law enforcement officer, I had asked the guys if they could sign the jacket for a fund raiser. There was a super great Detective named Chris Shaw who I got to work with. He unfortunately got brain cancer. There was a golf tournament and an auction to raise money for him and his family. The guys in the band were great, I mailed the jacket to them and they signed it and mailed it back for the auction. John 'Chris' Shaw
Her Signed Jersey from John Elway. (Same one she was wearing on the field at kick off.)
My wife got to meet a lot of sports announcers and football industry people while we were there. She met a few Bronco's Management people, including one who was a Big Bad Voodoo Daddy fan, and who also had access to John Elway himself. With this, she was able to get her Denver Bronco's Elway jersey signed by him, which was really cool. We had to wait a couple weeks to get it mailed back us, but it arrived, and signed by John Elway himself!
Watch The John Elway Documentary:
Yes, this is almost like a radio to hear the live broadcast.
Pre-Game Starts. The band KISS is performing. It was very cool. I got to meet them as they were standing right next to us while we were waiting in the stadium tunnel. I got to chat with Peter Chris for awhile. He was so cool and nice.
Pre-Game Ending.
Start of The Super Bowl XXXIII Half Time Show.
End of The Super Bowl XXXIII Half Time Show.
The end of Super Bowl XXXIII, Bronco's win!
Super Bowl XXXIII Trophy Presentation to the Bronco's.
After Party Victory Celebration:
There were some Denver Bronco's Players there for the party, but a lot were at other events.
Jamming with the Miami Sound Machine's trumpet player. I actually got to meet him in the late 80's at a great LA late night hang called Gorky's. It was a Russian deli style diner with live music. It is no longer there, but it was the place to be after doing gigs. It was cool to have met him then when I was just starting my freelance career, to then be performing with him years later at the Super Bowl.
Well, as they say, all good this must come to an end. The parties, being driven around everywhere, police escorts, fancy meals, and having people waiting on us 24/7. I recall when we left the hotel, a chauffeur in a big black car came to pick me and my wife up, and drive us to the airport. He was so nice.
The funny thing was when we finally arrived at the Los Angeles Airport, I remember seeing our luggage come out the conveyor belt and just rotating through. Then it us, oh... we have to pick up our luggage off of the conveyor belt. There was no one there to do it as they had for the Super Bowl, and most of the time when on tour. It was pretty funny.
You always try and stay grounded as a person, but when you're constantly waited on at that level, you can quickly can get accustomed to the perks of that life style. It's like flying first class, after experiencing that you never want to go back to coach :)
I'm so grateful to have experienced these moments, and thankful to have been given so much in life. I hope to share many more of these stories along with more photos, video and audio. I hope these give you a sense of the experience we had, from the performance side and just from the life side. If you enjoy stores like this, check back in or subscribe to this blog. I add new articles regularly. Thank you!
